It's the 2010 Summer of Sermons, with Steve
Mays.
You need to get another life.
Pastor Steve Mays says, real life starts at
the cross.
And maybe there's a better way to live
your life.
Maybe you can enjoy the fullness of the
Holy Spirit.
To see the power of God working in
you.
That you know that greater is He that's
in you, than He that's in the world.
Do you remember playing the Milton Bradley game
called Life?
If my memory serves me correctly, which it
doesn't do all the time, in order to
win I had to make a lot of
money and move into millionaire states.
Doesn't this sound a lot like what most
of us try to do in real life?
But as Steve points out today, chasing after
that kind of life is not going to
satisfy.
Like the game, once you get there, then
what?
Game over?
Well, Steve wants to encourage you to get
another life.
But this time, make it really count.
And here he is to tell you about
it.
Turn with me to Galatians chapter 2.
I'd like to draw your attention this morning
to chapter 2.
And we'd like to take a look at
verse 20.
Probably in all the Bible, there are great,
great scriptures and favorite scriptures.
But I don't know if there's one that's
more pregnant with truth than this one in
chapter 2, verse 20 of the book of
Galatians.
And so if you're taking notes, you can
just jot down, get another life.
And you're going to say, well, what in
the world is he talking about, get another
life?
Steven, it's get a life.
Well, let me tell you just a little
bit about that.
When our children were home, that was quite
a few years ago.
I remember vividly coming home from church, and
it had been a long day.
And so I walked to the door of
my house, and my wife has always met
me and kissed me and always been happy.
And she's a pretty happy person.
But this day, I remember so vividly, I
opened the door, and she was staring into
midair.
So I didn't know if she had a
stroke or maybe she had a vision.
What in the world happened to her?
And so I said, well, what happened?
She goes, I've been with your children.
Now, I don't know why that is.
When they're good, they're hers.
When they're bad, they're mine.
So I said, well, what happened?
She said, well, one of your children told
me to get a life.
And I said, you're kidding.
She said, no.
They looked right in my eyes and said,
Mom, get a life.
And I said, well, what did you say?
She goes, I didn't know what to say.
And I said, well, what do you think
you ought to say?
And she goes, I think I ought to
kill them.
And I said, no, no, no.
So we talked, and it has always been
kind of a family joke about Gal getting
a life.
And so she threw herself into the ministry,
and she got a life.
But that's not the life that the kids
were talking about.
They were simply saying to her, you know,
there's more to life than the Bible and
church and being a Christian.
And I said, no, there isn't.
And so what I want to share with
you this morning is what they should have
said is get another life.
You see, the problem today is that people
are telling you get a life.
And so you're out working day and night.
You are seeking to do all that you
can to try to make an impact within
the life in which you live.
Hoping that through your life you would leave
a legacy behind.
And so you are willing to sacrifice and
hoping that things will go your way.
Willing to save and willing to do certain
things because you desire that people would know
that you have a wonderful life.
And there is inside of us that desire
to have that abundant life.
To be entrepreneurs, to be able to do
the things that we want to do very
well within our life.
But the problem is, is that in this
world in which you live, it is going
to be brutal.
And people are going to take advantage of
you.
And you're going to make mistakes.
And you're going to have difficult times.
And you seeking to try to get a
life could be the very thing that destroys
your whole being.
I would rather say to you, listen, you
need to get another life.
You need to come to the end of
yourself where you have understood throughout your adult
life that everything that you have tried to
do hasn't always been easy.
And you're tired and you're exhausted.
And maybe there's a better way to live
your life.
Maybe you can enjoy the fullness of the
Holy Spirit.
To see the power of God working in
you.
That you would now come to know the
peace of God and that full assurance of
hope that if you were to die, that
you would go to be with the Lord.
And that whatever happens in the world in
which you live, that you know that greater
is he that's in you than he that's
in the world.
And so Paul now begins to speak to
these Galatians.
And he says to them, listen, it's not
about your life.
It's not about the selfishness of who you
are.
But it's about you coming to die to
yourself.
And the moment that you're willing to die
to yourself, there's another one called the Comforter
that's going to come and fill your heart
with the goodness of God.
And the blessings of God and the anointing
of God and Pentecost is going to explode
within your life.
And so he says very simply in Galatians
2.16, knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but
by faith of Jesus Christ.
Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that
we might be justified by faith of Christ,
and not by works of the law.
For by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified.
So Paul was saying that God is not
willing to reform your flesh.
That God is not willing to deal with
your flesh.
There is only one sentence that God has
against our flesh, and that is the sentence
of death.
So all the labor, all the things I'm
doing seeking to please God, is not going
to please Him at all.
It is by faith that I'm imputed into
righteousness.
And no man can please God except he
come to God and believe that God is.
And so the whole essence of your life
is to believe what God has said.
He said in verse 17, but if while
we seek to be justified by Christ, we
ourselves also are found sinners.
Is therefore Christ the minister of sin?
God forbid.
For if I build again the things which
I destroy, I make myself a transgressor.
For I through the law am dead to
the law, that I might live unto God.
And then the verse we want to look
at this morning, I am crucified with Christ.
Nevertheless, I live.
And so today in my heart, I am
crucified.
I identify with Christ.
And as he was crucified, as he was
buried, as he resurrected, so I am crucified.
I have died.
And I am now resurrected in the newness
of the spirit.
And that's what he's talking about.
Being partakers of that divine nature.
Allowing the spirit of the living God now
to take residence within your life.
That your eyes would become his eyes.
That your heart would become his heart.
That your thoughts and your actions and your
motives would now become governed by the kingdom
of God.
And so when you are seeking him, longing
for him, it is God drawing you back
to an intimate relationship with him.
I am crucified with Christ.
Nevertheless, I live.
Yet not I, but Christ that liveth in
me.
And so no longer am I living for
myself.
But I am now living for the king
of kings.
And he is now living inside of me.
And the life which I now live in
the flesh.
I live by faith.
And here it is, the son of God
who loved me and gave himself for me.
Notice in chapter 6 verse 14.
Paul goes on to declare in Galatians 6
verse 14.
But the conjunction, God forbid.
And Paul now is bringing a closure to
what he's speaking to these people of the
church of Galatia.
But God forbid that I should glory save
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
By whom the world is crucified unto me
and I unto the world.
Now we understand, but God forbid that I
should glory.
So if I'm going to become puffed up
in my life, that I'm going to boast
that I'm a Christian.
I'm going to tell the world that I
have died with Christ.
And my glory will be in the wisdom
of God.
By the determined counsel of God.
He sent Jesus to die upon the cross.
And it has become a stumbling block to
the world.
You can talk about anything, but you talk
about Christ.
And the place is going to go crazy.
And so it says in the very last
verse.
By whom the world is crucified.
Unto whom I unto the world.
In other words, Paul in a very simple
way puts together a picture.
That you are in this world, but you're
not of this world.
That the world in which you live, they
do not understand your commitment.
And you have no right to be part
of this world.
You are a pilgrim living in it.
You're not of it.
And this is one of the great dangers
that happened during the captivity.
You remember in Babylon.
That the children of Israel were taken into
this 70 year captivity.
Because of idolatry.
And it was during that 70 years.
That living in Babylon, that something very tragic
happened in their life.
When the years were up.
And they were now able to return back
to that very humble setting in Jerusalem.
And Ezra cried out, let's go.
It's time to once again rebuild the temple.
It said that very few people would leave.
And so we find that Zerubbabel said the
very same thing.
Guys, we need to go.
And Nehemiah encouraged the people.
But they didn't want to go.
You see what happened is that they were
in Babylon being dealt with.
But while they were in Babylon.
Babylon got into them.
And it's one thing to have a ship
and be in the water.
But it's a whole other thing to have
the water inside the ship.
And so you are in the world.
But you are not of the world.
And the world cannot get inside of you.
The dictation or the cosmos of this world
cannot begin to dictate your life.
The value system of this world.
And so we find very simply, how can
I be free from myself?
And the answer is very, very simply, I
need to get another life.
And my goal this morning is try to
encourage you in such a way.
That when you look at your life.
No longer will you become discouraged.
You will become helpless.
And in that helplessness.
And in that hopelessness.
Trying to be a Christian.
You are going to say what Paul said
in Romans chapter 7.
He said, who is going to deliver me?
That which I don't want to do, that
I do.
And that which I want to do, that
I don't.
I open the icebox.
I look at the leftover piece of pizza.
I know I ought not to do it.
I tell myself, I even quote scriptures.
Gluttons will not enter the kingdom of God.
Anything.
I'll make up scripture.
And yet.
Sitting in front of that TV.
With that juicy cheese dripping down with the
pepperoni.
I don't want my wife to have it,
so I got to eat it.
I feel called by God to deliver her.
She can be thin, but I can be
fat.
That's okay.
And then I look in the mirror.
And every night, sideways, I say, oh my.
When did you become pregnant?
And I begin to think, oh Lord.
Now you know I didn't want to eat
that pizza.
And God, you didn't help me.
And I hear this voice, shut the icebox.
Leave it alone.
Give it a rest.
That which I don't want to do, that
I do.
And finally, I have to come to a
point that in me.
Is no good thing.
I don't have the strength.
To say no to sin.
I don't have the ability.
To stay pure in a relationship.
I don't have the ability to do whatever
I think I can do.
Because this body of sin.
This flesh is stronger than I am.
So who is going to deliver me?
Who is going to help me?
How am I going to get victory?
How am I going to remain faithful?
How am I going to serve you the
way you want to serve me?
And the answer, Paul said, is you need
to come to the cross.
And you need to die.
And the moment that you die.
I'm able to take over your life.
And God now sends his Holy Spirit.
To become the residence of your life.
And now he begins to call the shot.
So greater is he that's in you.
Than he that's in the world.
And it's not by might.
Nor by power.
But it's by my spirit.
This thing's going to get done.
And I begin to see the peace of
God.
I begin to understand that there's someone in
my heart.
That now is dictating my life.
And so Paul declared that your bodies are
not your own.
You've been filled with the power of God.
Therefore, glorify God in your body.
And so when I walk in to a
place.
I'm taking the Lord with me.
You go into a bar.
You're going to take him in with you.
You don't say, Jesus, sit out here by
the dog.
I'm going in getting drunk.
I'm coming back out.
Hop back in my life.
And you go to bed with a non
-believer.
Or vice versa.
You commit adultery or fornication.
You take Christ through that relationship.
It's a horrible thing to think about.
And so what God is saying, very simply,
is that he's in your heart.
And when he begins to take over.
And so the work of the Holy Spirit
is to bring the fullness of God.
And God cannot bring forth his power until
I'm willing to die to all that I
am.
You say, well, Steve, I realize I'm selfish.
But I really want to deal with my
selfishness than die.
I really want to save the marriage, but
I just don't know how to.
Die.
I really want to win the kids, but
I just don't know what to do.
Die.
You see, the moment that you give up.
The moment that you surrender all.
The moment that you go the way of
the cross.
Everything begins to make sense in your life.
The Bible, you remember, declares in Ezekiel 47,
verse 1.
He said that when the water came from
underneath of the door by the altar.
And it came down the mountain.
It says in verse 1, it went by
the way of the river.
And by the way of the altar.
And so the thing that you and I
must come to understand.
Is that when we talk about walking in
the spirit.
Or we talk about being led by the
spirit.
Or we talk about the anointing of God
upon our life.
That is not the gift of tongues or
God using me in a special way.
What he is saying is that if you
want to walk after the spirit.
And you want to be led by the
spirit.
I guarantee you and promise you.
He'll take you by the way of the
cross.
And there's no way around the way of
the cross.
In the life of the believer.
And so if you're seeking to get away
from that cross.
Then you're not understanding the fullness of God.
The moment you surrender.
He'll take you to the cross.
And he wants to teach you there something.
He wants to teach you that in that
hopelessness.
In that helplessness.
He becomes everything in your life.
And the moment you die.
You begin to live.
In the power of the resurrection of Christ.
And it's no longer you fumbling around within
your life.
Trying to be this Christian.
Trying to be good this week.
It's now you are driven.
And there is a power within your life.
And there's a torrent of living water.
And now God is doing something in your
mind.
Your heart.
And you're being transformed.
And you're beginning to think like him.
And act like him.
And you're beginning to be what we really
believe.
A Christian is all about.
They're Christ like.
And so it says the way of the
spirit.
Very simply is Christ.
And he had to come.
And Christ had to die.
His whole life was preparing him for that
one moment.
Jesus came for one reason.
What?
To die.
His whole life for 30 some years.
Was living for what reason?
To die.
And the reason why?
That in that death.
He would bring redemption.
In that death.
He would set you free.
In that death.
He would bring the resurrection.
And in that death.
He would bring eternal life.
So in the death of the cross.
Comes the blessings of God.
And the moment that I'm willing to die.
The blessings of God.
Are going to come in my life.
In a very fulfilled way.
So he came to fulfill the father's heart.
And that was to die.
And God wants us to come the way
of the cross.
There's just no other way around it.
You remember the Bible declares.
Before the foundations were.
He was slain.
And then it says here.
That before the whole world publicly.
He wanted them to see his death.
And then at the very end.
In the book of Revelation.
We will worship the lamb.
That what?
Was slain before.
The foundations of the world.
So the greatest word.
And the greatest moment.
Of our Lord's life.
Was his death.
And the greatest moment.
In your whole life.
Is when you die.
To be absent in the body.
Is to be what?
Present with the Lord.
And there are some wonderful things.
When you begin to realize.
What it is.
And just imagine.
If you're a bride.
And your husband.
Has gone the way of the cross.
And you want to be with him.
Then you need to be like him.
And if God is.
The husband.
And we are the bride.
And this is the way.
That he has chosen.
Then this is the way.
That I must come.
To live my life.
So death gave him the power.
Of the resurrection.
And death gave him the victory over sin.
And death gave him the resurrected power.
And death gave him everlasting life.
But I must understand it.
And so I stand before you today.
Simply asking.
Do you really understand.
What we're talking about here.
Two thousand years ago.
There was a cross.
And I need to understand.
That in that cross.
Would come salvation.
That I would reckon myself.
Dead unto God.
And alive unto Christ.
That he would take my sins.
And he would substitute his life.
That he would give his back.
That I would be able to give my
life.
But not only do I need to understand
it.
I think it's important.
That I need to live it.
I need to accept what he did.
That he gave his heart.
Gave his life.
Recognizing what he wants to do.
And in giving his life.
He set a pattern.
And when I look at the cross.
Or this death.
I think of just a few things.
That really kind of stand out to me.
Number one.
I think that in his death.
There was humility.
If I look at the cross of Christ.
It said that.
He thought it not robbery.
To be equal with God.
But took upon him the form of a
servant.
Was made in the likeness of man.
He humbled himself.
And became obedient unto death.
Even the death of the cross.
He humbled himself.
So you say.
Well Steve.
Help me understand.
What you're really saying.
The crucified life.
Is a life of humility.
You see.
What is lacking in our society today.
Is humility.
What is lacking with our children.
Humility.
What is lacking in our marriages.
Humility.
No one wants to die.
No one wants to give it up.
Everyone wants to be right.
But Jesus hanging on that cross.
Though he was right.
Gave it up.
That I might be saved.
And God is asking you.
If you go the same way.
If through your humility.
You're going to win them back.
But if I'm unwilling to humble myself.
The marriage can never be saved.
If I'm unwilling to humble myself.
With my children.
My kids are never going to come home.
If I'm unwilling to humble myself at work.
That I'm going to lose my job.
Another words.
In death.
There comes a humility.
He hung upon that cross.
The bible says.
He let them tie his hands.
He could have come down at any moment.
But he chose to do the father's will.
Through a life of humility.
And that's important.
When I look at a man or a
woman.
Who says.
Well I live the crucified life.
The first thing I'm going to look for.
Is a humility within your life.
Is there a brokenness.
And that's what the cross does.
It breaks you.
And people today say.
I don't want to be broken.
You need to be broken.
In this way.
We're broken in every other way.
Our marriages are broken.
Relationships are broken.
Teens are broken.
Businesses.
Everything's broken.
Because we're not broken here.
And so when Satan says.
You don't want to come to Christ.
Because you're going to break.
He's absolutely right.
And in your mind.
You can't handle one more breaking.
But in this breaking.
Everything gets healed.
And so Satan has you over here.
This is wrong.
And that is wrong.
And everything's wrong.
Hey.
When you're wrong with God.
Everything's wrong.
But when you're right with God.
Everything's right.
God will make even your enemies.
Be at peace with you.
And so if you're trying to put this
together.
That's what it is.
Get a life.
Put this together.
And so you buy your homes.
And buy your cars.
And have the things.
And have the money.
But you go to bed.
And you're empty.
But the moment you're broken here at the
cross.
There's a humility.
You don't need this.
You have this.
And God usually gives you this.
But second thing.
Not only humility.
But I find there was a helplessness.
Yes.
He could have come down.
But he allowed them to tie him to
that cross.
To nail him to that cross.
There was a helplessness before God.
My God.
Why has thou forsaken me?
And I believe that.
Listen to me very carefully.
There needs to become a helplessness within your
life.
God.
I just can't do it.
I've tried to stop cussing.
And I can't.
I've tried to stop lusting.
And I can't.
I've tried to stop spending my husband's money.
But I can't.
What do you say about that?
Well, it's said in the Bible.
She needs more dough.
What can I say?
But you can't.
Though you want to.
You can't.
I want to love the guy.
But he drives me crazy.
I want to shoot him.
I love the kids.
But I hope they don't come home right
now.
And so, there's this ability to work things
out.
Independence.
But when you become helpless.
I quit.
I surrender.
My marriage is a mess.
My life is a mess.
My church is a mess.
Lord, if you can take me.
I'd sure like you to turn this thing
around.
And there upon that cross.
That thief said, oh Lord.
We deserve to be here under your curse.
But would you remember me.
And she said, this day.
You will be with me in paradise.
I just can't say I'm helpless.
Then no paradise.
I just can't get humble.
No paradise.
You're saying, Stephen, that to have paradise.
There has to be humility and helplessness.
I'm saying to have paradise.
You need to be broken and desperate.
And we're not.
Because we can pull it together.
And we can do this.
And we don't need church.
And we don't need this.
I'm telling you.
You need Jesus Christ.
That's what's going to heal your life.
That's what's going to give you a new
life.
And not just another life.
But someone living inside of you.
Who was able to encourage you.
Who will never let you go.
He'll never leave you.
Nor forsake you.
He'll be with you to the very ends
of the world.
That which He has begun.
He's able to complete until that day.
He bought you.
He made you.
He knows you.
You say, well Steve, I feel like such
a failure.
He knew that when He bought you.
You're not disturbing Him a bit.
I can't believe how horrible I feel.
Well, God knew that you were going to
do it.
He's just waiting for you to do what?
To come to the cross.
He's waiting for you to become helpless.
In the sense that you give Him permission.
Because the Holy Spirit will not force His
way upon your life.
And then also I find that on that
cross.
After His death, He was restful.
He died.
We did a funeral the other day.
And He was laying inside this coffin.
And they opened it up.
And I have to confess.
You're going to think, oh man, this guy
is morbid.
I thought, He's with God.
Here we have the church.
And we do this.
And we do that.
And we've got to go home and do
the dishes.
Boy, good night's sleep.
That's pretty cool.
You think, oh man, how sick can you
get?
Well, the Bible says to be absent in
the body is what?
No taxes.
No fat.
No cholesterol.
No shots.
No nothing.
Singing and worshiping and praising God versus Carson.
Hands down.
I'm ready to go.
But here's the thing right there.
That smile.
I remember when Chuck buried this one man
who was a great pastor teacher.
We would walk by and he had a
Bible in one hand and a fork in
the other.
And that's how he won it.
Because the reason why, he used to love
dessert.
And he would always say at his Bible
studies, and the best is yet to come.
And so they put a fork in his
hand.
The best is yet to come.
I like that.
The joy of knowing that through death eternal
life comes.
Oh, don't talk about death.
The whole Bible talks about death.
You are to die to yourself.
The corn is to die to bring forth
the wheat.
If you're unwilling to die, then you're unwilling
to live.
Well, I want to live.
But I want to live my way.
Oh, what a horrible way to live.
And so I begin to realize very simply
that the fellowship.
I think Thomas said it.
We will go and die.
Oh, that's great.
I mean, it's great.
We'll go and die.
The other disciples said, hey, knock it off,
Tom.
You might want to die, but we really
don't want to die.
Jesus just listened.
Peter said, I will go to the ends
with you and fight, and I will die
with you.
Jesus, yes.
Okay, Pete.
No problem.
I think what Jesus could have said to
them is, you guys, in just about one
week, you're going to see what it means
to hang on that cross with me.
And I think the greatest example is that
thief.
And when they saw that thief bleeding and
death, this is what Jesus said.
This is the death.
And in that one moment where the man
was hopeless, check this out, the man was
helpless and the man was cursed.
He had enough sense to say, remember me.
He quit.
And Jesus said, today, paradise.
And that's the message this morning.
Stephen, I'm helpless today.
I'm hopeless today.
You will be with me in paradise.
And so, as we close, greater is he
that's in you.
The life that you now live, you live
by the faith in the Son of God
who loved you and gave himself for you.
Another life.
Not your life, another life.
Pastor Steve Mays, with positive instruction on how
we can experience life to its fullest, glad
to have you with us today for this
encouraging message called Get Another Life.
Now, I don't know if you're aware of
this, but there's something tugging at you right
now.
It's called the lure of sin.
It's constantly trying to draw you out.
So it's important that you learn how to
deal with it.
In Pastor Steve's resource called A Life Out
of Control, he shares how you can stand
your ground even in the face of temptation.
Using the example of Samson, Steve talks about
the danger of living too close to sin.
And he shares ways that you can put
distance between you and the enticements of the
enemy.
A Life Out of Control is a publication
that will support your desire to make good
and wise choices.
And we're sending it out to say thank
you to those who appreciate the teaching that
Pastor Steve brings us each day and can
send a contribution so the program can continue
right here on this station.
There are quite a few expenses involved in
bringing this broadcast your way each day, and
we rely on you, our listeners, to help
us with the costs.
So if you can, we hope you'll take
the opportunity to get involved with the work
here at Light of the Word.
And with your donation, please be sure to
mention that you'd like a copy of Steve's
booklet called A Life Out of Control.
Ask for it when you write to Light
of the Word, Box 300, Torrance, CA 90507.
Or call us at 1-800-339-WISE,
that's 800-339-WISE.
Online, we're at lightoftheword.org.
That just about does it for right now,
but join us next time when we once
again dive into the Light of the Word.
Light of the Word Light of the Word
The hope that shines in darkness So we'll
follow the Light of the Word